The field of the invention is that of micro-instrumentation, that is, articulating, hand-held, instruments used in micro-surgery and like applications, for cutting or punching out tissue. The invention is particularly advantageous for endoscopic, or minimally invasive, surgery, where removal of cut or punched out tissue or fluids by vacuum evacuation is useful, such as in cutting sinus tissue.
The state of the prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,206, to Whipple, et al. There, a cutting-suctioning instrument is disclosed in which "a surgical instrument is specifically constructed to have an open throat between proximal portions of distal jaws constructed and arranged, when open, to provide a distally-directed, end aperture through which tissue can enter." (Col. 1, lines 39-43.) The disclosed instrument does not allow suctioning when the jaws are closed. Moreover, when the jaws are open, the suctioning is provided between the proximal ends of the jaws, not the distal end of the instrument. The Whipple device thus has the disadvantage of not providing, or providing only disappated suction at the very distal end of the instrument where cut tissue or fluids may be pooled.